A Promise Made
by Puella5639
Summary: When so many people are happy to have Harry come back to the wizard ing world, Severus wishes he had stayed with the muggles I stink at summaries. I SWEAR THIS IS GOOD
1. Chapter 1

"No" Snape hissed through his clenched teeth, "You can't do this to me. After all I have done for him. All I have done for you? How can you torture me like this?" Dumbledore was seated at his desk, holding his wand between his slender fingers. "Severurus, you always knew he would have to come here. I am sure it was even discussed the day of his rescue... Yes, actually, I am sure I mentioned it." Snape just stared at Dumbledore, anger practically oozing from every pore of his body. "I try not to remember that day. I spend practically every moment of my life tying not to think of that day! You of all people should know that."

Storming across the office for no other purpose than to move about, Snape snarled. "I don't want him here! I can't have him here!" Spinning around to face the headmaster he demanded, "Can't you have him sent somewhere else?" Dumbledore sighed slightly. "No Severus, I can not. Even if another school was protected enough that I could feel safe enough sending Harry to it, I am sorry to say his owl has already been sent. Would you like a ginger snap?" Dumbledore offered Snape a tin from his desk, but Snape pushed it aside angrily. "A what? No! I don't want one of your muggle treats. I want potter here I don't want him walking through the halls, I don't want him in my class, I don't want him in my school!"

Dumbledore stood up suddenly, "Do not forget yourself Severus, this is, after all, my school. It is not yours, and with luck it shall not be yours or anyone else's for many years to come. Now I am the headmaster and it is my duty to select the students, who may then choose wether or not they wish to attend our fine school.

Moving around the desk, Dumbledore stood before Snape. "Severus, do you not remember a promise you made to me eleven years ago? You promised, to help me protect the son of Lily Evans." Snape flinched at the name. "You promised, you would help me keep her son safe. Did you not? What did you think you meant by that promise?" Snape hesitated. "I did not think the matter through. When I promised to protect him I did not expect that to mean I would have to teach him, be in such close proximity to him. I don't want to see him. I can't bear to. Please don't make me." Severus winced slightly at those last words, as if even he realized how pathetic they sounded. Smiling slightly Dumbledore shook his head. "I am sorry Severus, a promise is a promise. You must remain here to help me and protect Harry."

Snape bowed his head and was silent for a moment. "Headmaster, if I must remain here will you reconsider the teaching possession?" Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "I am sorry Severus, I already have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and even if I did not you know why you can not have that position." Snape's nostrils flared with suppressed anger, his eyes glinted dangerously in the candle light. "You ask me to remain here, to work at a job that is not my passion, to guard after the son of my worst enemy and yet I get nothing in return." "Do not forget Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "You also guard the son of Lilly Evans." Snape took a step back, eyes slanted as a snakes, he opened his mouth as if to speak but walked away in silence. Dumbledore sat at his desk for a long time after Snape left, twirling his wand between his hands and thinking about who knows what. Until McGonagall came in exclaiming, "There has been a problem with Mr Potters letter!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! So I realized that when I posted my last story that I forgot to request reviews! No wonder I have not gotten any feedback ;) So to make up for that I request even more reviews for this chapter ;);) Kidding! - kind of ;) Still thank you for the follows! Ok, onto chapter two!

After Snape left Dumbledores office he stormed through the halls, his robes flowing behind him as he moved. The school year had not started yet so the halls were eerily empty, but that was fine with Snape. He was not every fond of children anyway. If not for Dumbledore he wouldn't even have this awful job, having to teach snot nosed brats the same lessons year after year after year. He didn't even particularly enjoy being head of Slytherin, it only meant he had to interact with the children even more.

As he descended the levels one by one he was fuming over the injustice of it all. Hadn't he given Dumbledore enough? He had not complained when has "encouraged" to teach the potions class, had not protested when the headmaster insisted he not practice any dark arts in the castle, he did not even mind that much when he was told it would perhaps be best if he stayed at Hogwarts as much as possible rather than leave. But now, this? To look after the son of his worst enemy and the son of his beloved Lily? Snape's steps faltered. The son of the woman who he had loved but also failed? He walked faster until he finally reached his room in the dungeon.

Snape's room was almost depressingly empty, but that was perfectly fine with Snape. Besides his bed, trunk, closet and desk the only personal thing in the room was his potion station. And even that was so sterile and organized it could hardly be called personal. As Snape entered he lifted his wand and faced the door. Murmuring spells under his breathe he closed his eyes in concentration. The spells invisibly covered the door, and ensured no one would be able to enter until the spells were disbanded.

Once Snape was sure of his privacy, he moved towards his desk and knelt down besides it. Again lifting his wand he pointed it at one of the stones that made up the wall, and with a wave of his wand the stone disappeared. In its place was a pensive. But unlike the silvery one found in Dumbledores office this one was of a completely different color. A foggy blackness consumed the insides of the stone bowl, and save for a few gleaming strands the color of rainbows the contents of this pensive reeked of nothing but misery. It was a sorrowfully strange mixture that filled this bowl, it had both the darkest memories of Snape's life and the brightest. It was really a depressing but apt description of Snape life, how utterly the blackness warped the light.

Setting the bowl on the floor Snape stirred the contents with his wand, found the one he was looking for and plunged his face into the pensive and lost himself in memories. Memories of Lily. Walking through the halls with her, studying for tests with her, celebrating Halloween and Christmas with her in the school, there first visit to Hogsmead when they bought so much at the candy store that they had stomachaches for days after, that one time when he thought she was about to kiss him but the bell rang and they had to go to class. After visiting these happier times Snape pulled himself back to reality for a moment to catch his breath. Then, with a shuddering breath, he stirred the contents of his memories until the bright shining ones had been pushed to the bottom. And then he dove his face into the blackness.

And again he remembered. Not that he ever forgot, the burdens of his past haunted him constantly. But every time he would bring out the pensive these memories were only enhanced. He watched Lily's rejection of him, the act that caused his downward spiral to being a death eater. He watched every horrible time Potter made his life hell, he watched as Potter and Lily went to Hogsmeade, the time she left him without a second thought. He saw graduation day. The day he had planned a whole speech to give to Lily, hoping to salvage there friendship. The day he went to find her to talk, and instead found her passionately kissing potter. He saw the day he had the dark mark burned into his arm, the day me met Lord Voldemort. Oh what a fool he had been then. He had to agree with several of his ideas, after all behind all madness is there not some genius? But how could he have thought killing mudbloods would be ok? Did he really feel comfortable doing that? He saw now how he had acted like a foolish hurt school boy- only instead of amounting to nothing his actions had meant death. When he got to one of the few mud bloods or muggles he had been encouraged to kill, Snape couldn't take it anymore and withdrew from the darkness.

As soon as his thoughts were pulled free from the memories Snape backed quickly away until he was sitting against the back of his bed. Sweat streamed down his face, his cold heart pounded in his chest. He realized he had to at least try and help the Potter boy. No matter how much he may hate him, he still had to. Perhaps if he could do this one small deed it would help erase some of the evil from his past.

Don't worry next chapter will be better! It will have Harry! Pleeeeaaase give me feedback, and review! Love reviewers! :)


End file.
